Social Question

Any ideas for drinks or hors d'oeuvres at our "fancy" party?

My roommate and I have an apartment this year that is wonderful for entertaining. We’ve been meaning to have a party, and finally set a date. As far a ‘theme’ goes, we’d like a reason to really dress up (dresses for women and ties for me) and are encouraging our guests to do so.

So, now we need some suggestions on hors d’oeuvres and drinks that we could serve. Keep in mind that we are still in college, and therefore are not very wealthy.

Also, any ideas on how to title this party on the invitation? It’s not a dinner party, as there will not be dinner… just hors d’oeuvres, and we are considering having some alcohol, but primarily BYOB as this is going to be a large crowd most likely.

7 Answers

We used to do this with friends, and called it the “Extravagance Party” because we all had the kind of lives where it was very rare to dress up. Our friends would each bring something to eat or drink that would not normally grace our table, whether a fancy little something from a bakery, or a homemade pate (not too difficult, but fancy!) or a bottle of $10 champagne to share (in other words, not Andres!) If everyone brings something, it can be very fancy without breaking anyone’s budget. Have fun!

Champagne is usually the least expensive celebratory drink. You can get plastic champagne glasses. Fancy appetizers require time to make. If there’s a discount place near you, shop there. Find a base or three (bread for little toasts, crackers, refrigerated rolls etc.) Make a variety of toppings: egg or tuna salad; liverwurst; cheeses; ham; etc.. The thing that makes them look elegant is the garnish: a dab of mustard; a sprig of parsley; a sprinkle of chopped nuts; a slice of olive.

Or Skewers, either Vegetarian, like these Italian style skewers (take a marinated mushroom, a ball of fresh mozzarella and a grape tomato, slide them onto the skewers. Lay them out on a lettuce leaf lined platter and drizzle with a little bit of Balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil) or these Tropical-style skewers (take a square of baked marinated teryiaki flavored tofu, a square of fresh pineapple, some mint leaves and a grape tomato, drizzle with a tiny bit of soy sauce mixed with pineapple juice) or you can also have Chicken Skewers

You’ll probably want a cheese tasting platter too. Go to Trader Joe’s and pick out 4 or 5 different cheeses (different colors, different textures, soft and hard) Cut half of the block of cheese and cut it into cubes, set the cubes next to the remaining “original” block so people can see what the cheese looks like in its original form.) Set out some of those fancy toothpicks with the frills on the end of them (can be purchased at Smart and Final or Cost Plus Marketplace or online), and have a basket of pre-sliced baguette rounds in a basket too. Make sure there are little cheese knives or spreaders. If you really want to be fancy, put little computer made labels next to the cheese, describing its name and qualities. I would suggest an Emmentaler Swiss or a Gruyere and a Sharp Cheddar and a Smoked Gouda and a Red Wax Edam and a Humbolt Fog Blue Stilton or a Point Reyes Stilton and maybe a soft Goat Cheese